


Six Feet Under

by tonystork



Category: Iron Man - Fandom, Marvel, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), infinity war - Fandom
Genre: And Me - Freeform, Gen, Iron dad and Spider son, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter and Tony deserve a fricken break, Poor Peter Parker, RIP, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, god damn marvel, god infinity war, i just got it on DVD and I’m ready to cry myself to sleep tonight, tbh I’m no better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-06-30 13:59:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15753117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonystork/pseuds/tonystork
Summary: The soul stone is like a challenge of wits with a pigeon. No matter how Peter plays the game, he’ll always lose.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little ficlet to try to curb my writer’s block. What a horrible little creativity monster.

Peter sat up as he coughed up a lung full of water. It spluttered unpleasantly as Tony rubbed his back comfortingly, coaxing his lungs out of shock. As the tears cleared from Peter’s eyes, his world of red came into view. He lifted his hand from the water it was in, staring as it glittered like amber on his hand. Tony helped him to his feet as the liquid dribbled off of him, as if he were covered in wax.

  
“Hey, you’re okay. You’re okay,” Tony said. Peter looked from his hands to his mentor, finding it hard to make out his face in the heavy fog.

  
“I-I don’t...what’s going on? Mr. Stark?” Peter asked, tears springing to his eyes uncontrollably. One second he was falling away and now he was in a whole other world all alone, save his mentor.

  
“Thanos, he did it. He snapped his fingers and the world died, Pete. But you’re okay. You’re okay.” Tony said, gently cupping Peter’s cheek in his rough palm. Peter wished he would stop saying he was okay. He wasn’t fine, and he was sure the rest of the world wasn’t either based on what Tony had said. But Tony was with him the whole time, how did he…

  
“Mr. Stark-“ Peter said, suddenly becoming aware of the tight grip on his sweater. Peter panicked, pushing his arm away from what he thought was his mentor. “You’re not real!” Peter yelled. Tony looked taken aback.

  
“Of course I’m real, don’t I feel real?” Tony said gently, the mechanical calmness giving Peter goosebumps. Tony always snarked back. He wasn’t snarking back.

  
“No! Stop it! Where’s Tony?” Peter shouted as he struggled out of the grip the mirage had him in.

  
“I’m right here, Peter. Calm down.” Tony tried to make a grab for him again, just barely missing his forearm by an inch. His eyes fluttered orange a moment with the power of the soul stone losing its battle. Peter gathered his courage as he shoved Tony back a few steps, then a few steps more.

  
“You’re not even here! Just leave me alone!” With a final push, Tony was flung into the water. Peter looked down at him with a huff as Tony smirked.

  
“Guess you’re one of the smart ones,” His voice changed as he spoke, his body slowly dissipating into the water. “You should be proud. There’s not many who can tell the difference between fakes.” Tony’s last words came out a whisper as his body finally disappeared from Peter’s world. Peter sunk to the ground with Tony.

  
“No, no no no, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Mr. Stark! Come back!” The regret hit Peter instantly. Having a fake Tony was better than having no Tony at all.

  
“Please, come back.” Peter helplessly dug at the ground where Tony previously lay, trying fruitlessly to bring him back. After a few moments of grasping at nothing, Peter finally fell back on his knees and buried his head in his hands.

  
“I don’t know how to be without you,” He whispered hoarsely. Peter drew his knees to his chest and hid his silent tears. He just wanted Tony to tell him everything would be alright and that he would come get him soon.

  
Sitting alone in the water, he needed Tony.

  
He just wanted his dad.


	2. Lost With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter won’t lose again. Checkmate.

After what could have been days, weeks, or even years, Peter felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. He startled as he coiled backwards into a defense position, hands against the enemy. He never thought his enemy would be Mr. Stark.

  
“Relax, kid. I’m not here to hurt you.” Fake Tony said, holding his hands in the air. After a moment, Peter let his guard down and stood up bravely, puffing his chest full of air. He saw once on Animal Planet that you could scare off enemies by making yourself look bigger. It was too bad Peter was about as scary as a caterpillar.

  
“Why are you here then? I already know you’re fake. Is this another test?” Peter leaned back, eager to be out of the way of this terrifying fake Tony. The glowing orange eyes set off his spider-sense. Or, maybe that was just his plain old anxiety taking root.

  
“I am here for you to receive your reward. As I said, not many have been able to tell what’s real or fake. Their souls were damned from the beginning.” Tony looked at Peter curiously. “You are an odd case, Peter Parker. You knew right away. It often takes two to three weeks for even the purest souls to know the difference.”

  
“Wait, so I’m like, cinnamon roll pure?” Peter questioned, his left eyebrow raising. Fake Tony let his face lose any and all expression as he sighed deeply. He looked Peter directly in the eyes as he dramatically waved his arm in front of him.

  
“I suppose, yes, you are,” Tony finger quoted, “ _cinnamon roll pure_. As a result of this, your reward is to leave my home and return to yours.”

  
“I can go home? Just because I solved your riddle?” Peter’s face lit up. Fake Tony lifted his chin menacingly, floating into the air a few inches.

  
“Yes, you may go home. At the price of another soul.” Tony said darkly, ensuring Peter understood the consequences of his gift. The boy’s face fell slack.

  
“And other people have traded? Are you serious?” Peter’s shoulders fell back with the responsibility of his decision.

  
“Yes. Often those they did not know, so they would not feel that emotion of your kind’s, guilt.” Fake Tony said, eyes softening from their deathly fire. This child had a large decision to make, and either one would stay with him forever. The stone recalled the numerous calls for it, for it to take back what it had done. It never could.

  
“No, no I can’t do it. I can’t trade my life for another’s, it goes against everything I stand for. It’s why I became Spider-Man, so I could save people.” Peter said, arms flailing wildly as he shared his opinion strongly.

  
“Are you sure?” Fake Tony asks. Peter opens his mouth to decline the reward when the stone opens a screen-like portal. Peter’s mouth goes dry as he regards Tony through the screen. If he didn’t know where he was, he would be sure it was Tony who died, not him. His mentor looked so lost with his hands to his face and tears tracking clean lines down his dusty cheeks. Peter felt his eyes well up at the sight of Mr. Stark, usually so well put together - even in the most stressful situations - so torn down to the barest of emotions.

  
“Are you sure you won’t return to him?” Fake Tony said tenderly, setting a comforting hand on Peter’s shoulder. The kid took a deep breath as he tried to make up his mind. “A soul for a soul.”

  
“Any life? Or soul?” Peter said, all too knowing of how this could work out.

  
“Any life you choose. They will take your place here and you will take theirs.” Fake Tony said, eyes boring into Peter’s. The boy looked up with dark eyes, shiny with the choice he was making.

  
Peter’s vision went white as they shook on it.

* * *

 

It started with the dust lifting, then swirling and mixing with the ash, then taking form particle by particle. Within moments, the ash on Tony’s clothing turned back into the kid he was this mourning.

  
Across the ship’s aisle of seats, Peter sat in shock. He was back. His mentor was faster than he was, however, as he found himself locked in a tight bear hug. Peter fastens his fingers into Tony’s sweater as he shakes, his destiny forever changed.

  
“You’re here, Pete. You’re okay. I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” Tony sighs into Peter’s hair as he reluctantly lets him out of his hold, keeping his hand comfortingly on his back. He’d never let Thanos near his kid again. Tony looked to where Nebula was watching from behind a wall of metal as he tried to formulate a plan.

  
“We should circle back to Titan, see if there’s any way we can destroy Thanos and reverse the stone.” Tony said authoritatively, running his hand through Peter’s hair protectively.

  
“Uh, I kind of dealt with that already.” Peter spoke up shyly, a mixed expression on his face.

  
“I’m sorry, what?” Tony looked at him as if he had three heads.

  
“In the soul stone, there was a test and I passed. I was able to come back to you, but only if another soul took my place in the stone.” Peter said, his tone grim as he refused to look Tony in the eye. His mentor, on the other hand, had the biggest sly grin on his face.

  
“So you switched places with Thanos himself.” Tony finished with a breathy laugh.

  
“With Thanos in the stone, every other soul that he took was reversed.” Peter said, recalling what Fake Tony had told him while he was transitioning between worlds. The soul that did the deed was the soul that paid, and Thanos was now paying in full.

  
“Son, you never cease to amaze me. You know what? Make as many pop culture references as you want.” Tony laughs incredulously and ruffles Peter’s hair, and, caught in the moment, kisses the crown of Peter’s head. The kid’s grim face morphs into one of confused pride. He destroyed Thanos but he also took away his life. Then again, Thanos had no qualms about killing half the population of the _entire universe_ , which Peter brought back. He allowed a smile to overtake his face.

  
“Really?” Peter’s smile became impish as an idea formed in his mind.

  
“Really.” Tony said, smiling with the joy of having his kid back. He didn’t even mind that he knew a reference was about to come his way.

  
“You know, I really can’t wait to get back to Earth in the morning.” Peter said, excitedly bouncing his feet. _Tony didn’t even see it coming. Perfect_.

  
“Specifically the morning? Not night?” Tony bit his lip, waiting for the punchline.

  
“Yeah! Because in the morning, I’m making waffles.” Peter let out a sharp laugh as Tony poked him in the side.

  
“Oh sweet Jesus...what have I done?” Tony murmured under his breath, perfectly aware that Peter could hear him clear as day with his enhanced ears.

  
“Hey, you said I could! Anyways, I’m hungry. Is there any food on this ship?” Peter said, trying to distract himself from the outside planet. The red atmosphere was bringing his mind back to himself turning to ash. Tony immediately picked up on Peter’s shift of mood as he recognized his own deflection technique.

  
“There should be, the Guardians have to eat at some point or another.” Tony’s face pales. “Oh shit, we forgot the Guardians.”

* * *

 

As Nebula watched, hidden, she regarded Peter and Tony with a softness long since locked away. The red planet they passed was deeply affecting Peter, no matter how hard he tried to pretend it wasn’t. Peter was leaning into Tony’s side as the older man tucked him underneath his chin, hiding him to his neck as Nebula pretended not to notice the silent sobs leaving the both of them. Peter may not have been a Stark, but Tony was his dad.

  
It is indeed not the genes, but the act in which makes a father.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment or a kudo or both if you found this fic interesting! Thank you all so much for reading!


End file.
